Japanese Patent Publication No. 2,631,946 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,527) discloses a design of a knitted fabric for knitting by a flat knitting machine. The design of the knitted fabric is performed on a computer. The outer shape of the knitted fabric is inputted as an image, and the types of knitting stitches or the like are inputted using color codes or the like. Usual, but complicated processes such as decreased stitches, increased stitches, or bind off stitches are carried out by storing a subroutine, and retrieving the subroutine from a library. The design data as created can be converted automatically into knitting data used in the flat knitting machine.
In portions of the knitted fabric such as an armhole, a neck hole, and a placket, a tissue which is different from the other portion may be used for the width of about several wales from the end of the knitted fabric. These portions may have complicated shapes that are not simple like a rectangle, due to the increased stitches or the decreased stitches. Therefore, it is necessary to input the design for the width of several stitches from the end of the knitted fabric for each course, and the operation is very laborious.